Working towards reconciliation through economics

This profile is part of our Education with Impact series. Find out how you can make a difference by studying economics at The University of Winnipeg here.

Kiernan Gange hopes to use his economics degree to contribute to reconciliation in Canada. The fourth-year honours student is drawn to the study of economics because of its challenges and real-world applications.

Gange came to UWinnipeg with little direction, but continued taking classes in the Department of Economics because he appreciated his professors’ abilities to explain difficult concepts — particularly when it came to his second-year microeconomics class.

“(It) was the hardest course I had ever taken,” he said. “Having such a great and supportive prof in a class that I found so difficult made it possible for me to do well in the class and made me feel proud of myself in a way that I had never experienced.”

Prior to University, Gange says he rarely put effort into schoolwork. Now, thanks to the demands of his studies, he says he appreciates working hard and enjoys pushing himself to improve his writing and mathematical abilities.

“I am forever thankful for the faculty at (UWinnipeg) who encouraged me to challenge myself and take difficult courses instead of settling for mediocrity or doing the bare minimum to get by.”

His experiences in the economics department have inspired him to pursue a Masters and maybe even a PhD in the field.

Gange’s main goal is to contribute to research around economic conditions in Indigenous communities in Canada, particularly in regards to poverty and economic outcome gaps.

“I want to play my part in the reconciliation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities,” he said.

Gange’s favourite part of studying at UWinnipeg — aside from his professors and the University’s strong sense of community — is being part of an organization that is a positive force in Winnipeg’s core.